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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Owning Your Own ShadowI just finished reading a wonderful, and compact book about recognizing the shadow and how we project our
good and bad onto others. One chapter that captivated my attention was his discussion of Paradox and how, if we can
recognize both sides of the spectrum in whatever we do (for example the dicotomy of wanting to make money to provide and give
more to our families verses the Christian idea of giving up everything to the poor and wanting not), then we can become a
better person.
Another chapter talked about Mandorlas...yes, not Mandalas but Mandorlas which were apparently well known
in the Middle Ages but not so much now. A mandorla is defined as "...that almond-shaped segment that is made when two
circles partly overlap...it signifies nothing less than the overlap of the opposites...the overlap of heaven and earth...Christ
and the Virgin are often portrayed within the framwork of the Mandorla." Bridging the opposites seems to be our biggest
task in life, trying to find the middle ground or balance on the fulcrum, as Johnson describes. The middle, the mandorla,
can be experienced through music, dance, language or poetry...Johnson gives many wonderful examples of this in his book.
I highly recommend picking up this little gem.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Dreams....Ever wonder why your dreams have a different "feel"
to them? For instance, if you are a true introverted person, why do your dreams always revolve around many people; being
in crowds and interacting with multitudes? I've been transcribing my dreams for a professor who is writing a book that
will come out this Summer. These dreams were from 2006...a time of serious change and of pro-creation-literally!
I was pregant with my beautiful son and going through a multitude of emotions. My dreams, back then, surely were full
of people "milling around" which seemed to be one of my favorite sayings: I am with a ton of people milling around...
What I've learned is that I must stay social in order to "feel" fulfilled.
This is important. I must keep in touch with the world around me and interact. What I've also learned....cooking
and baking (sensate function) also gets me in touch with my true inferior trait: feeling. Who knew? For those
who are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, see Pascal's Jung to Live By and read about the four
functions. It's a wonderful book that propelled me into Jungian/Depth/Analytical Psychology.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Annotated Grimms and Baba YagaI recently bought an annotated version of The Brother's Grimm Children's Stories and Household
Tales. The hard cover, 2003 edition is edited with a preface and notes by Maria Tatar and I can't say enough
about this wonderful, informative, and beautifully illustrated version. I've been able to use the book to read to my
5 1/2 yr old daughter at night but also as a study and reference book for learning about the psychological relevance of Fairy
Tales. Tatar talks about the many versions of the Grimms; she also gives a bio of the brothers as well as past psychological
interpretations of the tales.
One aspect I was not aware of was the connection between the violent nature of the tales and
the Nazi ideology during WWII. I did have to "wrap up" Snow White early...something about putting on red-hot shoes and
dying a painful death seems a little unsettling for a 5yr old, even if it was the evil Queen's fate for being a horrid meanie
to her step-daughter. At any rate, this book is a must have for anyone interested in the Brother's Grimm.
I also picked up a copy of Russian Fairy Tales, which feature the wonderfully enigmatic and
brutal Baba Yaga. My daughter seems facinated with the Russian tales...as am I. I wish I had knowledge of Her
mortar and pestle as a child...how much more vivid my dreams would have been...that might have not been a good thing at the
fresh age of 5. I know my daughter's art work will one day reflect these tales and I'm excited to see it
unfold.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Fairy TalesI have been reading fairy tales to my daughter for the past couple of weeks....I picked up
a wonderful annotated version of the Grimm Brothers as well as a Japanese book with various fairy and folk tales. I
hope to find a good German version of the Brother's Grimm as well as a copy of Russian fairy tales that I failed to buy at
Barnes and Noble two weeks ago. If anyone has a good book to recommend, please let me know.
My daughter has taken to the tales and I believe that this might be something seriously missing
in today's children. I was apprehensive at first, with some of the frightening scenarios, but I recently read that children
need to learn about problem solving...not to mention the unconscious material that is being stored and understood at a level
we have no conscious perception of. Life and Death problems cannot be pushed under the carpet-they see it in the news
and every day reality. My own daughter's father was gone over half her life in deployments...
I see only joy at night when bedtime comes...wonderous stories of kings and queens, frogs
and princesess...
...and of course, the Baba Yagas!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
New YearStill reading Von Franz; she mesmerizes me. Finished Projection and Re-collection and am
concurrently reading Interpretation of Fairy Tales
and Psychotherapy. I hope to jump into Edinger's Ego and Archetype soon after.
My Christmas gift was Rosetta Stone's German, level 3 from my husband. I am re-learning from college
and hoping to start reading non-translated German texts one day, soon.
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